“Will You be Our Qualitative Methodologist?” Reflections on Grant Work Responsibilities

Abstract

Government funders increasingly encourage interdisciplinary mixed methods research projects that include qualitative methods. For qualitative methodologists, the opportunity to collaborate on interdisciplinary research teams may come at a cost when their expertise is marginalized relative to quantitative designs. Drawing on concepts from critical pragmatism and an ethics of care, we reflect on ethical tensions in our experiences as qualitative methodologists on government funded interdisciplinary research teams. Driven by an intersubjective and justice-oriented view of knowledge development and care as interdependence, we offer our thoughts, experiences, and guidance under four orienting concepts: collaboration, education, critique, and critical reflexivity. We culminate our reflection by offering a practical and responsible way forward for qualitative methodologists who accept grant work invitations, a way that holds promise for advancing interdisciplinary, critical, and care-based action in funded research.